BSU Men’s Hockey Begins 2nd Half of 2024-25 Season at Home with Rival UMD

The Bemidji State men’s hockey team is back on the ice after a 17-day holiday break for a New Year’s Eve battle with in-state rival Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers beat the Bulldogs 4-3 in overtime on the road to open the season and now get to open the back half of the season with a rematch at the Sanford Center.

BSU finished the first half with an 8-8-3 record and currently sit 6th in the CCHA standings. While there is still plenty of hockey left to play, there is a sense of urgency among the Beavers to find a rhythm in the new year.

“We’re not panicking right now at where we’re out in standings and we kind of control our own destiny,” said senior forward and captain Jackson Jutting. “We still have a lot of games left, but we also need to understand the importance of every game that we play and hopefully that translates into a top spot here in the league.”

“I don’t really look at us in the standings,” said head coach Tom Serratore. “I kind of glance by our standings board and we have everything in percentages right now, and that’s the only time I – I don’t go online and look at these things. I just don’t! I don’t know who’s leading our league in scoring. I couldn’t tell you. But I look at the standings board, I know where we’re at, and I know we’ve got quite a few games left the second half of the year.”

“But you get better get moving,” he continued. “Because if you keep waiting, you’re going to be sitting in a spot you don’t want to be.”

The Beavers were winless in seven straight games against the Bulldogs until the October 5th win to start the year. On Tuesday, BSU will have a chance to sweep the rivalry series for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

After their New Year’s Eve game, BSU will play Manitoba on Friday, January 3rd at home in their last exhibition match of the season.